And Along Came Jake (17 page)

They overheard Mr. Dobbins on the microphone, asking everyone to be seated, and they began to introduce the married couples parents as they entered. this continued with the entire bridal party, and after being introduced, they took their seats at the head table.

Mr. Dobbins looked to the band, who began to play 'Moonlight Serenade' by Glenn Miller. He announced the two sets of newlyweds, who made their way to the center of the dance floor to begin the first dance. As they danced, they both stared deeply into each other's eyes, and their family and friends looked on and smiled.

When the dance was over, Jake was given the microphone, where he graciously thanked everyone for attending and hoped they would enjoy themselves. He then passed the microphone to his new father-in-law who gave the blessing that starting the feast. As the first course was served, the band softly played setting the mood for a perfect evening.

Between each course, toasts to the brides and grooms were given by the best men and maids of honor. Everyone finished the last course, and the band began to play more upbeat songs, as the newlyweds took to the floor once again and started swing dancing to 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' by the Andrew Sister.

Soon after the newlyweds started dancing, many couples, friends, and family, chose a partner and joined them on the dance floor, showing off their best swing moves. They all had a wonderful time, dancing to everything from 'Manhattan Serenade' by Jo Stafford, to 'Sing, Sing, Sing' by Benny Goodman.

After the dancing, there was the tossing of the bouquets. The single women gathered, and anxiously awaited for Madison and Ashley, to proceed with the famous toss, to see who'd be next in line to marry.

Madison and Ashley lightly covered their eyes and tossed their bouquets behind them, quickly turning to see who the lucky girls where. Cheers, clapping, and giggles came from the crowd congratulating Misty McFarland and Jakes mother, Maggie on catching the bouquets.

After a few more dances, it was time to cut the cake. Jake and Edwin each grabbed a ceremonial knife, and posed for a picture before the first pieces were cut. They cut slices, one for them, and their spouse. Pictures were taken as each one fed the other, and the crowd cheered and clapped, congratulating them again.

As the reception came to a close, Nate Brierly and his brother Steven thanked everyone for coming, and asked them to wish the newlyweds good will, as they made their way to the Mississippi river for their week's long honeymoon vacation.

As the newlyweds walked outside, they noticed Mr. Brierly's pickup truck, and Edwin's parents car, decorated with a 'Just Married' sign and cans tied to the back bumper.

The couples got into their get-away vehicles and started to pull away as the cans bounced on the ground making a horrible wonderful noise. The brides stuck their heads out of the window to wave their last goodbyes as guests blew kisses and waved back.

Mr. Brierly turned to his weeping wife. "Well, there goes our little girl."

"What do we do now, Nate?" Mrs. Brierly asked. "We've got that big ol' house, and it'll just be the two of us again."

"Why not build that house we've always wanted?" he suggested. "We can start on it right away, and when Jake returns from the Army, we can move in and give the old house to them."

"Do ya mean it Nate?" Mrs. Brierly exclaimed. "You mean, we can build that house we've dreamed of all these years?"

"I don't see why not." Mr. Brierly shrugged and smiled. "We've got enough in savings, and we sure ain't gonna share the same house with newlyweds, we'll never get any sleep."

"Oh hush Nate!" Mrs. Brierly said, as she lightly slapped his arm.

Steven Brierly turned to his brother. "Guess our little girls are all grown up now. We got that old house sitting on our land, that I've been fixin' up, I think I'm gonna give it to Edwin and Ashley as a starter home.

"Well, with the Army enlistments, engagements and the wedding happening so fast, we really didn't have time to prepare, but Abby and I decided to build our dream house and leave the one we're in to Jake and Madison."

"What will you do in the meantime?" Clara Brierly asked.

"Well, Jake and Madison will live in the old barn until Jake leaves for basic training, then she'll move back in with us, until the new house is built."

As the remaining guests left the reception, Jake and Madison, Edwin and Ashley were in route on the three hour drive to their honeymoon destination.

The sun was almost fully set when they all finally arrived. They went to the front office, still in their wedding attire to sign in and get their keys. As they rang the bell on the front counter, a man rushed to greet them, quickly tucking in his shirt.

"You must be the Patterson's and Birch's?" The old man said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes "Please forgive me, this office is actually an extension of my home, I must've dosed off. I'm Mack by the way, I'm here all the time, so if you need anything, please just come on in and ring the bell. We don't get many visitors this time of year, as a matter of fact, it looks like you kids will have the whole site to yourselves. "

"If you don't mind my asking, how do you stay open, sir?" Jake inquired as he signed the paperwork for the weeks long lease agreement.

"Well, spring, summer, and the first part of fall makes up for the slow months we have in the winter. This is really the only time I'm able to relax. In the warmer months, these cabins are fully occupied and I stay quite busy."

As Mack gave them their keys, Jake and Madison would stay in cabin three, while Edwin and Ashley were given cabin sixteen. With that, they all shook hands, hugged one another, and made plans to barbeque the following evening.

When Jake and Madison arrived at their cabin, they couldn't get out of the truck fast enough. They ran hand in hand toward the door, leaving their bags in the truck, as Jake fumbled with the key. Once he opened the door, he picked Madison up and lovingly carried her inside.

They slammed the door behind them, and began to undress each other as fast as possible. All four made a pact with each other when they began dating; to keep themselves pure until their wedding night.

This proved extremely difficult at times, as there were instances within their relationships when the timing felt right, and in the heat of the moment, it was hard to resist. However, Madison and Ashley were determined to keep themselves pure. If it wasn't for their determination, this exact moment wouldn't have been near as special, meaningful or as lovely as it is right now.

As they finished making love for the first time, they held on to one another, as the universe seemed to stand still. There was no worry or thoughts of  basic training, no war in Europe, no financial troubles, and no stress; Only the beating heart of the person next to them, and the idea of spending the rest of their lives together.

The newlyweds enjoyed the week, spending quality time with their spouse, and also setting aside time to gather together, for a couple barbeques, reminiscing about their childhood, lives, and the moments that lead them to this point in time.

The week away from everything and everyone went by way too fast, and just like everything else, all good things must come to an end. Their memories were made, bags were packed, keys returned, and vehicles were driven back to Blackwater, where real life was about to begin for its newest married couples, starting with the boys leaving for basic training in less than a month's time.

—

Time To Go

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Blissful married civilian life, quickly came to an end for Jake and Edwin, and the anticipated day of departure to basic training had arrived.

Their orders were to board a train at the Blackwater train station on January thirty first, at eleven a.m. sharp. They'd have a stop in St. Louis, to pick up more Missouri recruits, then continue to Camp Wheeler Georgia.

Jake and Edwin along with their wife's, walked slowly and quietly to the train station. They arrived a little after ten, and since they had some extra time, they decided to stop by the recruiters office and say goodbye to Staff Sergeant Bradford.

They walked in and saw two feet propped up on the desk, and a newspaper hiding a mans face.

"Ahem!" Jake cleared his throat loudly. "Umm, Staff Sergeant Bradford, I don't know if you remember us, but my friend Edwin––I mean, Private Birch and I signed up not long ago and––"

To their surprise, the man who lowered the paper was not Staff Sergeant Bradford. He took his feet off the desk, yawned and stretched his arms. "Staff Sergeant Bradford ain't here no more!" He huffed in a thick Brooklyn accent. "He shipped out a week ago, Army could've sent him anywhere. So, tell me—what can I do's for ya? You gonna sign up or somethin'?"

"No Sergeant, I mean Staff Sergeant. We were about to leave for basic training and wanted to say goodbye to him."

"Is that right? Oh and hey, don't worry about the Sergeant stuff around me, I only got a few months left in the Army, then I'm headed home to Brooklyn, so you's can just call me Tony—Tony Martoni."

"Tony Martoni" Madison said with a smile. "That's quite a name, sir."

"Yeah whatever, guess my parents thought they were bein' funny or somethin', anyway, I just got back from Europe, and can't wait to go home and have some homemade lasagna!"

"S-So, what's it l-like to be in a-a-action Sergeant?" Edwin asked.

"No clue." the recruiter  responded "They stuck me behind a stupid desk, doin' paperwork for soldiers comin' in, and going out of country. Some went out alive and some went out—well, you know… What a waste of my time, didn't fire a single shot in fifteen months, I almost forgot I even had an M-1 rifle for cryin' out loud. But I ain't worried though, I'll make up some good stories to tell the folks back home, they think I'm a freakin' war hero or somethin'."

Ashley looked at the clock, "well, it's getting close to eleven, so we'd better be going"

The recruiter cracked a half smile, "Good luck to you's, and I hope you boys see more action than I did!"

"Thanks Sergeant." Jake replied. "If we even go to Europe, they tell us there's a pretty good chance we'll be stationed stateside."

"Keep dreamin' kid." The recruiter sarcastically quipped. "Let me give you some advice, when they give you your three day break after basic training, be sure and take care of everything you need, cuz you're goin' to Europe—no doubt in my mind."

They left, and headed back towards the train station, and everyone talked about the possibilities of being stationed stateside. Deep down in their hearts though, they knew the recruiter was probably telling the truth, and eventually they'd be in Europe.

It was now 10:30a.m. and the boys had to board by 10:45. The two young couples separated in order to spend the last few minutes alone with their spouse. Suddenly, they saw a couple familiar vehicles pull up, and their parents jumped out, along with Big Paul.

"Hi gang!" Nate Brierly called. "I know we all agreed to say our goodbyes at the house, but we couldn't resist, we had to see you boys off."

Amid sobs and smiles, Jake and Edwin said goodbye and gave many hugs and kisses as they got on the train. They sat in separate rows, allowing each one to look out the window. As the train slowly departed, their faces were pressed against the glass, waving goodbye, watching their wives, parents and friends crying, blowing kisses and waving back. They waved until all their loved ones were completely out of sight, then they sat back in their seats, thinking about their lives as the train headed towards St. Louis.

In St. Louis, they picked up ten new recruits. Jake and Edwin watched an all too familiar sight, as the future soldiers pressed their faces against the window and waved goodbye to their loved ones.

The ride to Georgia was surprisingly quite comfortable. Since there were only twelve recruits in the assigned military train car, they were all able to stretch out and sleep. A good thing, since the trip was 550 miles and would take nearly thirteen hours.

The train had a scheduled stop in Nashville Tennessee, where the new recruits would stay, in a rundown hotel for the evening. The train would depart early the next morning, and scheduled to arrive at Camp Wheeler before noon.

En route to Nashville, they needed to switch conductors, so this gave the passengers the opportunity to use the bathroom and stretch their legs for a few minutes. Jake felt the train begin to slow, so he woke up, yawned, stretched, and looked out the window.

As his senses began to normalize, he heard Edwin and another recruit passionately discussing baseball. The train stopped, and everyone began to exit. Edwin and his new friend, didn't seem to notice, they kept talking about their favorite teams, players, and predictions on the upcoming season.

"Edwin!" Jake lightly tapped him on the back of the head. "Y'all comin'? It's time to stretch and use the bathroom."

"Sure J-J-Jake, have y-you met E-E-Ernest yet? We were j-just talkin' b-b-baseball. "

"Just call me Ernie," he said as he shook Jake's hand. "Ernie Glosman, son of Phil Glosman, maybe you heard of him? He's the assistant coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.––Rumor has it, the head coach may retire at the end of the season, making my dad head coach."

"Wow, that's something!" Jake said. "Well Ernie, whatever you need to know about baseball, just ask Edwin. He knows it all, he took our high school team to the championship two years in a row, and won both of em'!"

Ernie nodded, "He's the first fella I've met outside the league that actually knows his stuff."

Jake headed towards the exit, "Y'all talk about baseball, I'm gonna go pee."

Edwin, Ernie and the rest of the recruits got off the train, went to the bathroom, stretched for a few minutes, then reboarded, and continued to Nashville, where they all hoped for a decent hotel and a good night's sleep.

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The Army split the boys into three rooms, with four recruits in each. After eating at the small diner across the street, all twelve recruits ended up in Jake and Edwin's room. They quickly got to know one another, laughing, joking, and talking about basic training and the possibility of going to war.

By nine o'clock, everyone was back in their assigned rooms and fast asleep. The train's whistle woke them at exactly 4:30 a.m.

"Let's go boys!" A recruit yelled, banging on the doors.

All twelve recruits boarded, and the conductor gave one last 'All aboard' before continuing the journey to Camp Wheeler Georgia. They all quickly fell back asleep, and ended up sleeping entire trip there.

About 10:30 a.m. the train arrived at the Georgia train station, the recruits were bused to the reception battalion at Camp Wheeler. The reception battalion is where all new recruits stay for approximately one week, taking care of all necessary paperwork, getting their 'on the floor, out the door' haircuts, uniforms, dogtags, vaccinations, training gear and learning the basics of marching and military discipline.

After their initial week was over, they were finally able to 'go down range.' To 'go down range' was a term to reference the boys getting out of reception and into true basic training.

As they grabbed their gear, they loaded into the buses to take them down range, an eight minute drive to the other side of base. The two buses full of new recruits were packed like sardines. They were herded into the buses like cattle, and the lucky few were actually able to get a seat, while others stood in the center aisle with their rucksack (backpack) on their back, and a duffel bag in front of them.

No one spoke a word on the short ride, most of the recruits chewed the inside of their lips and rubbed their buzzed and bald heads anticipating their Drill Sergeants and the many horror stories they've been told.

Jake and Edwin rode the same bus, but since everyone rushed in, and jockeyed for an ideal seat, they were separated. Jake found a seat in the middle and unfortunately, Edwin was one of the unlucky recruits standing in the aisle.

The eight minute ride didn't seem like eight minutes at all, they were there in no time. No one said a word, just shook quietly in their combat boots not knowing what to expect.

They finally came to a stop, and the bus driver opened the door. A man slowly walked on the bus and stood in silence before the new recruits.  He was the meanest, fiercest and most intimidating looking man that any of them had ever seen; he had a deep scar that went from his left ear down to his chin. He straightened his hat, then put his hands on his hips and started to speak; his voice was deep but surprisingly pleasant.

"Hello gentlemen!" He said in a relaxed voice. "I would like to introduce myself as Drill Sergeant Hawkins, I'd like to welcome you to Camp Wheeler Georgia, your new home for the next twelve weeks. Every one of you has been afforded the honor and privilege to be part of the best infantry training outfit the world has ever seen. I would like to personally welcome each of you to Delta Company, 6th battalion, basic training facility."

He adjusted his hat once more, and proceeded to pat down his neatly pressed fatigue uniform for almost a minute, creating a very awkward, tense and fairly uncomfortable atmosphere.

"I feel generous today men." he said. "I'm gonna give you recruits five whole minutes to get off this bus, and get into ranks in that empty field out there." His smile quickly faded, he furrowed his brow, and began yelling as loud as he could, "Like I said, you have five minutes to get off this bus, but four minutes and thirty seconds are already gone—now MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!

The scene that followed was serious yet extremely comical. The recruits literally poured out of the buses, totally confused and disoriented by all the commotion going on. To make matters worse, angry Drill Sergeants waited outside, yelling and barking different orders.

No matter what the recruits did or said, it was wrong, and they had to suffer the consequences. There were twelve Drill Sergeants total, and all of them were yelling out orders. At times, one recruit would have two Drill Sergeants giving him different orders at the exact same time.

"What's your name boy?" Drill Sergeant Hawkins barked. Jake stood motionless with a look of terror in his eyes.

"My name is Jake Patterson!"

"Jake?" Drill Sergeant Hawkins asked. "That's the name your momma calls you back home, you're mine now boy. The next time someone asks your name, you respond Private Patterson you got that? Now I'm gonna ask you one more time, what's your name, boy!"

"Drill Sergeant, Private Patterson!"

"That's what I thought, you clown, now drop and give me twenty!"

Jake tossed his duffel bag to the side, and quickly dropped to his belly and started doing pushups. After about the forth pushup, another Drill Sergeant crouched down next to him and started yelling.

"You must be crazy, boy. Who said you could do pushups on my grass?"

"Drill Sergeant Hawk––"

"Did I tell you to speak, Cheery? No—I didn't think so! Now get off my ground, and run to that pole and back, on the double!"

Although confused, mentally and physically exhausted, Jake ran as fast as he could to the nearest pole, approximately fifteen yards away, then immediately turned around and ran back.

"I thought I told you to do pushups, boy!" Drill Sergeant Hawkins said. "Why are you running around my training camp like a little girl?"

"The other Drill Sergeant––"

"The other Drill Sergeant?" he huffed. "Don't you know we have names, boy?"

"Sorry Drill Sergeant, but I don't know his––"

"Oh, you're gonna pay boy, you're mine for the next twelve weeks. And guess what? I'm making you my special project! Now get in formation with the rest of em'!"

Completely exhausted, Jake grabbed his duffel bag, and stood in the ranks with the other new recruits. He wanted to find Edwin, but didn't dare move. Not long after joining formation, he saw three Drill Sergeants yelling at a recruit for scratching his nose.

The Drill Sergeants stood behind Drill Sergeant Hawkins as he paced back and forth in front of,  Delta Company 6th Battalion (D. Co. 6th Bn.) yelling his welcome speech to the 130 recruits.

"I only have twelve weeks to get you clowns ready for war, I want all of you to come back alive! Believe me, three months ain't very long to teach you everything you need to know. One of the first things you need to know, is your first name is now your last name, and your last name is now your first name. From this moment on, you will no longer refer to yourself by using the word 'I.' From now on, when speaking about yourself to any Drill Sergeant, you will say 'Private' then state your last name. Also, whenever you address any Drill Sergeant, you will begin with the words "Drill Sergeant," and end with the words "Drill Sergeant." Do I make myself clear?"